Monday, April 22, 2013

Eliminate Kids' Asthma Triggers At Home

More than 24 million Americans suffer from asthma, and 7 million of
them are our kids. With school back in session, your kids are spending
more time in enclosed spaces with other kids and are exposed to a wide
range of germs and possible asthma triggers. We talked with Dr. Reynold
Panettieri Jr., an asthma specialist at the University of Pennsylvania,
about the dangers of asthma for kids and how we parents can help them
manage the condition.

Asthma can be fatal

SheKnows: What exactly is asthma, and can it be life-threatening?

Dr. Panettieri: Asthma is a clinical disease
characterized by increased sensitivity to allergens and environmental
triggers that cause the airways in the lungs to become blocked or
narrowed, resulting in the commonly known symptoms including shortness
of breath, chest tightness and cough. The symptoms often subside either
spontaneously or as the result of therapy. If asthma symptoms persist
and worsen in severity to the point that airflow in and out of the
airways becomes completely blocked, then patients may experience a
life-threatening asthma flare-up or attack. Fortunately, asthma
mortality has declined in the past 10 years, but one patient with asthma
dies every 30 minutes in the United States.

Asthma is on the rise

SheKnows: Is there a rise in asthma cases in the United States?

Dr. Panettieri: In the United States and globally,
the prevalence of asthma is increasing. The precise reasons for the
increase in asthma cases remain unclear. Interestingly, air pollution in
industrial countries has improved over the past 20 years; however,
asthma prevalence continues to climb. Experts believe that the increases
in asthma prevalence may relate to more virulent viruses, indoor air
pollution or potentially to decreased vitamin D exposure. Although these
remain hypotheses, the cause for increases in asthma prevalence is
likely multifactorial.

Asthma is not preventable

SheKnows: What can parents do to help prevent their children from developing asthma?

Dr. Panettieri: Since asthma is a hereditary
disease, there is little that parents can do to prevent their child from
having asthma. The precise genes that induce asthma remain unknown, and
to date, there is no vaccine that will prevent children from getting
the disease. Importantly, parents can be vigilant in looking for common
symptoms, which include chest tightness, cough and wheeze. If their
child is experiencing these types of symptoms frequently, parents should
visit their child's physician. If their child is diagnosed with asthma,
parents should work with their child's doctor to develop an asthma
action plan, which is critically important to preventing asthma from
progressing.

Know your asthma triggers

SheKnows: What are some common asthma triggers?

Dr. Panettieri: Each patient responds to asthma
triggers in a unique manner. Some triggers such as cold air and pollens
are seasonal in nature, causing the symptoms of asthma during the peak
seasons of spring and fall. Viral infections are another common trigger,
occurring more in the winter.
Recent evidence suggests that homes may harbor considerable indoor
allergens and irritants that can worsen asthma symptoms. Such triggers
include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) typically found in paint,
lacquers and varnishes. Others include dander from cats, dogs and other
furry animals.

Tips for an asthma-healthy home

SheKnows: How can parents keep an asthma-healthy home?

Dr. Panettieri: Importantly, parents can try to
minimize asthma triggers and maintain an asthma-healthy home by
following some simple tips. For example:

Choose hard-surface flooring instead of carpet and hanging blinds in
lieu of drapes to provide ease in cleaning and decrease the absorption
of dust mites and pollens.

Select paints, varnishes and cleaning products with the lowest VOC levels to minimize the impact the fumes can have on asthma.

Frequent vacuuming and regularly changing heating, ventilation and
air-conditioning (HVAC) filters may also help minimize asthma triggers
within the home.

Hypo-allergenic stuffed toys that can withstand frequent washing can also reduce exposure to asthma triggers.

For more asthma-healthy home tips, visit www.buildsmartbreatheeasier.com.
Build Smart, Breathe Easier is a national asthma education program
sponsored by Merck and conducted in partnership with Habitat for
Humanity and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. In addition
to building four asthma-healthy houses across the country with Habitat
for Humanity, the program is designed to help educate about the
importance of maintaining an asthma-healthy home and ways to help manage
the disease.

Help your kids manage their asthma

SheKnows: What are your tips for managing asthma in kids?

Dr. Panettieri: The recognition of asthma symptoms
and prompt intervention with current medicines to treat asthma are the
best ways to manage the disease in children. Following healthcare
providers' recommendations to reduce exposure to triggers, such as those
previously mentioned, and frequent follow-up with a healthcare provider
is critical in helping to improve the quality of life of patients.
Importantly, all children should exercise, and although exercise can
trigger asthma symptoms, optimally managed asthma will not impede
exercise.

Asthma resources

SheKnows: What are some resources for parents for more information?

Dr. Panettieri: There are many websites that can give more information about asthma. Read More..

Asthma is a lung condition that causes difficulty breathing, and it's
common among kids and teens. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, and
shortness of breath. Anyone can have asthma, even infants, and the
tendency to develop the condition is often inherited.
Asthma affects the bronchial tubes, or airways. When someone breathes
normally, air is taken in through the nose or mouth and then goes into
the trachea (windpipe), passing through the bronchial tubes, into the
lungs, and finally back out again.
But people with asthma have inflamed airways that produce lots of
thick mucus. They're also overly sensitive, or hyperreactive, to certain
things, like exercise, dust, or cigarette smoke. This hyperreactivity
causes the smooth muscle that surrounds the airways to tighten up. The
combination of airway inflammation and muscle tightening narrows the
airways and makes it difficult for air to move through.

More than 23 million people have asthma in the United States. In
fact, it's the No. 1 reason kids chronically miss school. And flare-ups
are the most common cause of pediatric emergency room visits due to a
chronic illness.

Some kids have only mild, occasional symptoms or only show symptoms
after exercising. Others have severe asthma that, left untreated, can
dramatically limit how active they are and cause changes in lung
function.
But thanks to new medications and treatment strategies, kids with
asthma no longer need to sit on the sidelines, and parents no longer
need to worry constantly about their child's well being.
With patient education and the right asthma management plan, families
can learn to control symptoms and asthma flare-ups more independently,
allowing kids to do just about anything they want.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Patience and persistence are the tools for parents of a picky eater. Your tenacity tomake nutrition a priority will pay off in the long run as your child grows andbegins to form food associations, preferences and priorities. Your guidanceand role modeling will be a positive and formidable influence. (but you can’t see it rightnow, so hang in there and don’t give up.)

* Don’t despair. That leads to frustration and stress at meal times. That doesn’t help you or the child. Be patient there is no magic solutions because kids, like us adults, have different personalities, tolerance levels, patience, moods etc. So in other words, what works for one child may not work for another.

*Introduce one new food at a time. Introduce it with another food they enjoy.* Don’t make your child clean their plate. Forget that old fashioned way of thinking. We nowknow that kids, especially under five, have a good sense of their hunger. They will stop eating when they are full. The portion size they were given may be too much for them.

* Avoid bribing please! ie “If you eat your vegetables, you can have dessert later.” Think about the message that will send to your child. Dessert- reward, fun, happy, success.Vegetables, not fun, requires a condition in order to eat them, Multiple studies have shown that bribing kids doesn’t promote good healthy food preferences in the long run.

* Just try to offer them one bite of the healthy food they don’t want to eat. If your child refuses, don’t give up or get mad. It just means they won’t try it today but that does not meanforever. Keep bringing that vegetable back to mealtime every several days or so.

* Take advantage of other activities to expose your child to healthy foods outside of mealtime. Have them help you pick out the vegetables and fruits at the grocery store, or better yet, at the farmers market, Maybe the farmer will tell your child how they grew it. Let them help prepare the foods. I know I have said this before, but it can take kids 15 exposures before theircuriosity is piqued enough to try a new food.* Be a fun healthy eating role model. The kids are watching you and paying attention. Pile on those veggies on your plateand let them know how delicious it is. A little extra acting isokay. You have an audience! It’s okay for kids to have a dessert or high sugar, high fat food once in awhile. Avoid completely eliminating a food they enjoy. It will only make them want it more. Instead, teach your child how these foods are good to have once in a while. Help them learn to eat small portions of these kinds of foods. We have to be realistic. Being healthy is about moderation, balance and portion sizes. There is room in a child’s diet for all kinds of foods. Some everyday and other once in while. When there are independent tweens/teens they will be making their own food choices. Home is a chance to teach children good eating habits and that includes teaching them about these high sugar foods and high fat foods.

* Avoid letting your child snack all day long. If they aren’t very hungry at mealtime they areless likely to try new foods.* Make the foods interesting. Jazz up those vegetables and fruits. Kids love dipping foods, so how about adding a low fat dip for their vegetables or fruits. Serve them their vegetable with a vegetable made of into a picture or funny face. Just image theirfaces when they sit down and see a happy smile made of celery, carrots and cucumbers. Make fruits and vegetables a fun event for kids. Have them color their plate with the food item. See if they can name the different colors. You can come up with different games using fruits and vegetables that can peak their interest about the food.* If you find a couple of vegetables that they do like, well, it is okay to repeatedly servethem. Just continue to introduce one new food at a time.* To add more nutrition for that stubborn picky eater who absolutely refuses to eat vegetables or fruits, be creative. You can add vegetables into some of their favorite meals. Dice them finely and add thesehealthy foods to their favorite meatloaf, stew, soup, casserole dish orpasta.